Mr. Eldridge has served as a state senator since 2009, after having been a state representative since 2002.

Calling this the most important election in our lifetime, Mr. Cavaretta said this year he decided it was time for him to step forward and serve.

“People are mad at incumbents and are voting against anyone in office because of the lack of progress,” Mr. Cavaretta said, adding that Beacon Hill is not politically competitive. Mr. Cavaretta said he would work to get legislation not just heard, but debated.

Mr. Cavaretta said he has heard that voters are tired of their elected leaders not working together, and is ready to reach across the aisle to vote for ideas rather than party.

He has previously worked in the Massachusetts Department of Transportation under Gov. Paul Cellucci and Gov. Deval Patrick. In addition, when he was a graduate student at Northeastern University, his faculty adviser was former Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, and his thesis focused on why projects take so long to build.

“I am the only candidate running that can work with Sen. John Kerry and Sen. Scott Brown, Therese Murray and Bruce Tarr,” Mr. Cavaretta said.

Mr. Eldridge said much of the legislation he has worked on and passed has come directly from his district, and he is in constant contact with district residents he sees at events and with community leaders.

“I believe competition is good for democracy and for the legislative process in general,” Mr. Eldridge said. “I always expect an opponent, and I am a believer that a legislator cannot rest on their laurels.”

In the past year, Mr. Eldridge said, he has worked to improve local aid to school districts, police and fire departments, but noted that while progress has been made, state aid levels are not back to pre-recession levels.

In addition, he said, he has worked to make not only the legislative process more transparent, but corporate tax credits transparent as well.

“We need to make sure they are creating the jobs they promised and that they are facing the repercussions if they are not doing what they said they would with taxpayer dollars,” Mr. Eldridge said. The legislative process needs to be just as transparent, he said, with voters aware of roll call votes. He has also advocated for what has become the “Open Checkbook” under state Treasurer Steven Grossman, which allows residents to see how every tax dollar is spent.

“When property taxes go up, individuals feel the burden,” Mr. Eldridge said. “We need to have a conversation about reducing the tax breaks to corporations and provide relief to families.”

Mr. Eldridge is one of the original authors of the anti-bullying legislation, and is now seeing school districts not only taking steps to prevent bullying but now improving upon some of those programs.

As he campaigns door-to-door in the district, he has heard that local businesses are willing to invest, and while state unemployment is better than the national average, there is more work to be done. Mr. Eldridge has filed legislation to update the Green Communities Act and increase the amount of renewable energy that utility companies are required to purchase, which he said in turn reduces energy costs and creates jobs.

In addition, Massachusetts must continue to invest in its infrastructure, he said.

“Transportation just can’t be about the MBTA. It has to be about roads, bridges, buses and van services, rail trails — ways for people to get around,” Mr. Eldridge said.

Mr. Cavaretta has a strong presence on social media with two campaign websites: www.DeanCavaretta.com and www.momsanddadsfordean.com, as well as a YouTube Channel, where his stands on the issues are highlighted.

Education reform, accelerating transportation projects; and creating a better business climate are the key issues of Mr. Cavaretta’s campaign. Mr. Cavaretta is against a higher gas tax and a higher income tax, saying such taxes only further hurt working families. Rather, Mr. Cavaretta would like to roll back the sales tax to 5 percent.

“This is the wrong time to raise taxes on anyone; it disproportionately affects the working families,” Mr. Cavaretta said. “Now is not the time to raise taxes in the middle of a recession.”

Mr. Cavaretta said education reform needs to include a formula that helps suburban school districts. He is an advocate of merit-based pay and said the state has to play a role. He said the state should be financially responsible for the high standards it requires of its teachers, not let that burden of professional development fall to towns and taxpayers.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation projects must move faster, he said. While the state has made some strides in that area in recent years with the Accelerated Bridge Program, which he worked on while employed by Mass DOT, there is still work to be done to and the same principles need to be applied to all state projects, he said.

“How is it that we can build a skyscraper in less time that it takes to build a bridge in Hudson?” Mr. Cavaretta said, referring to the Houghton Street Bridge in Hudson, that has been closed since 2006.